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1. COUNTRY
Vietnam is divided
into 59 provinces (tinh) and 5
municipalities (thu do) as shown below:
NORTH VIETNAM
NORTH WEST
REGION
Son La, Lai Chau,
Dien Bien, Hoa Binh
NORTH EAST
REGION
Ha Giang, Cao Bang,
Lao Cai, Bac Kan, Lang Son, Tuyen Quang, Yen Bai,
Thai Nguyen, Phu Tho, Vinh Phuc, Bac Giang, Bac
Ninh, Quang Ninh
RED RIVER
DELTA REGION
Ha Noi, Hai Phong,
Ha Tay, Hai Duong, Hung Yen, Ha Nam, Nam Dinh,
Thai Binh, Ninh Binh
CENTRAL VIETNAM
NORTH CENTRAL
REGION
Thanh Hoa, Nghe An,
Ha Tinh, Quang Binh, Quang Tri, Thua Thien Hue
SOUTH CENTRAL
COAST REGION
Da Nang, Quang Nam,
Quang Ngai, Binh Dinh, Phu Yen, Khanh Hoa
CENTRAL DELTA
HIGHLANDS REGION
Kon Tum, Gia Lai,
Dak Lak, Dak Nong
SOUTH VIETNAM
NORTH EAST
SOUTH REGION
Ho Chi Minh,
Lam Dong, Ninh Thuan, Binh Phuoc, Tay Ninh, Binh
Duong, Dong Nai, Binh Thuan, Ba Ria Vung Tau
MEKONG RIVER
DELTA REGION
Long An, Dong Thap,
An Giang, Tien Giang, Vinh Long, Ben Tre, Kien
Giang, Can Tho, Hau Giang, Tra Vinh, Soc Trang,
Bac Lieu, Ca Mau
The five
municipalities in Vietnam are Can Tho, Da Nang, Hai Phong,
Ha Noi and Ho Chi Minh
Photo: Colonial buildings in Hanoi
2.
GEOGRAPHICAL LOCATION
Vietnam is located in Southeast
Asia and it is surrounded by China, Laos, Cambodia and the
Gulf of Tonkin and consists mostly of hills and densely
forested mountains with level land covering no more than
twenty percent, between latitudes 8010' TO 23024'N
and longitudes 102009' and 109030'E.
3. AREA
329,560 sq km
4. POPULATION
81.6 million
5. CAPITAL
Hanoi
6. PEOPLE
Ethnic Vietnamese are mostly
concentrated in the alluvial deltas and in the coastal
plains while ethnic minorities are found in the highlands.
The largest minority group is the Hoa, who are mainly
lowlanders while other ethnic minorities are situated mostly
in the highlands that cover almost two-thirds of Vietnam.
Vietnamese women
7. LANGUAGE
Almost 87% of the population
speaks the Vietnamese language, the country's official
language, although other languages such as Chinese and Khmer
are spoken among other minorities group with English
becoming more popular and increasingly used in business.
8. RELIGION
Buddhism is the main religion
with Confucianism, Taoism and Christianity being freely
practised.
9. GOVERNMENT
Vietnam is governed through a
highly centralized system dominated by the Vietnamese
Communist Party (Dang Cong San Viet Nam) which was formerly
known as the Vietnamese Labor Party. The government manages
state affairs through a structure that parallels the party's
objectives but it is incapable of acting without the party's
orders. All key government positions are filled by only
party members under the strict control of the Central
Political Committee.
Society is ruled by the party's
ever-presence which is manifested into a network of party
cadres at almost every level of social activity. All
citizens are expected to be members of one of the mass
organizations led by party cadres and all military officials
are ultimately answerable to party representatives.
10. CLIMATE
The climate in Vietnam is
tropical and monsoonal and humidity averages about 84
percent throughout the year. Annual rainfalls ranges from
120cm to 300cm while annual temperature vary between 50C
and 370c.
11. HISTORY
AND CULTURE
Vietnam was occupied by France
in 1884 and ruled Vietnam as a colony as a part of Indochina
until it was expelled by the Japanese during World War II.
After the war, France, with the help of the US, attempted to
gain control of the country but independence was declared by
the Nationalist forces who had fought against Japanese
invasion.
The French was defeated in 1954
by the Vietnamese Aliiance Parties (Viet Nam Dong Minh Hoi),
notably in the Battle of Dien Bien Phu. The first Indochina
War (1946-1954) came to an end with the defeat of the French
that leads to its surrender.
On 20th July 1954,
the Geneva Treaty was signed by the French and Vietnamese
representatives. Vietnam was divided , supposedly
temporarily, into the northern and southern zones. with a
general election to be held in June 1956 (Article 3), and a
prohibition against introducing foreign troops (Article 4).
The division of Vietnam forced about two million North
Vietnamese to migrate to the south, as the
communist-controlled north began to impose severe rules to
implement racial land reforms and socialist communism.
The southern government, headed
by Ngo Dinh Diem and backed by the United States (US),
refused to open consultation with the North Vietnamese
concerning the general elections when the earlier agreed
upon date was due. According to the Pentagon Papers, this
was because Ho Chi Minh was believed to have significant
support in the north after having tried to implement a
massive agrarian reform that resulted in over one million
people leaving North Vietnam to re-settle in the south to
avoid persecution and bloodshed.
The Communist Party encouraged
poor peasants to gain ownership of land by subjecting all
landlords to public trials and executions. South Vietnam
refused to abide by the Geneva Conference that declared
Vietnam a republic because, according to them, under Ho Chi
Minh's government, the North Vietnamese people were not free
to choose or vote. This was hypocritical since South Vietnam
was a right-wing dictatorship that strictly forbade
opposition. This move was followed by the declaration of
North Vietnam as a country by Ho Chi Minh, who was backed by
the USSR and China.
Economic and military aid from
the US to South Vietnam grew through the 1960s in an attempt
to bolster the government but US military forces were
subsequently withdrawn following a ceasefire agreement which
was signed in Paris in January 1973. Two years later,
ignoring the Paris ceasefire agreement, the North Vietnamese
army invaded and took control of South Vietnam by force. The
war ended after a loss of about 3.8 million lives and with
more than 2 million people fled Vietnam to seek political
asylum in other countries.
Economic reconstruction of the
united country has proven very difficult under the new
Communist socialist government of Vietnam. The vast majority
of the population in Vietnam is Vietnamese with the Chinese
as a small minority group. The Vietnamese culture originated
on the delta of the Red River and the Ma River where the
locals cultivate paddy fields living a simple life and
influenced by Confucianism.
12. MAJOR HOLIDAYS
New Year's Day (January 1),
Anniversary of the Foundation of the Communist Party Of
Vietnam (February 3), Tet (Tet Nguyen Dan - to mark the
start of spring) (January/February), Liberation Day (April
30), May Day (May 1), Birthday of President Ho Chi Minh (May
19), National Day (September 2)
13. ECONOMIC PROFILE
Vietnam is a poor,
densely populated country that has to recover
from the ravages of war, the loss of financial
support from the old Soviet bloc and the
rigidities of a centrally planned economy.
Substantial progress was achieved from 1986 to
1996 in moving forward from an extremely low
starting point until the 1997 Asian financial
crisis highlighted the problems existing in the
Vietnamese economy but instead of prompting
reform, it reaffirmed the Vietnamese
government's belief that shifting to a market
oriented economy leads to disaster.
Vietnamese
authorities is slow in implementing the
structural reforms needed to revitalize the
economy and produce more competitive
export-driven industries. Privatization of state
enterprises remains bogged down in political
controversy while administrative and legal
barriers is causing unnecessary costly delays
for foreign investors making it hard for Vietnam
to attract foreign capital.
14. ENTRY
REQUIREMENTS
To enter Vietnam, a valid
passport and visa are required and the best way to obtain a
visa is from the Vietnam Embassy in Bangkok. The visa will
indicate the arrival and departure destination and the
length of stay in Vietnam. Visitors to Vietnam must fill out
three set of application forms for visa together with three
passport size photographs. One set will be given to the
nearest Vietnam Embassy while the other two sets is given to
immigration upon arrival.
All visitors are required to
register with police within 48 hours upon arrival.
15. CURRENCY
The Vietnamese unit of currency is the
Dong (d). Notes are in the
denominations of 20d, 30d, 50d, 100d, 200d, 1,000d, 2,000d,
5,000d and 10,000d. Any amount under 200d is rarely used and
is of little value and the US Dollar is used freely as well.
Any amount of currency may be
brought into the country as long as it is declared on the
forms provided by the Customs Officials.
16. BANKING
HOURS
Monday - Friday: 8.00am to
5.00pm except on public holidays.
17. POST
OFFICES
Vietnam's mail service is
reliable and efficient. Major hotels provide basic postal
services on their premises. Provincial post offices are
usually open from 8.00am to 4.30pm.
18. TIME
Vietnam is seven hours ahead of Greenwich
Mean Time (GMT), eleven hours ahead of Eastern Standard Time
and fourteen hours ahead of Pacific Standard Time.
19.
ELECTRICITY
Voltage is 220 volt AC at 50
cycles per second throughout the country.
20. WEIGHTS
AND MEASUREMENTS
Vietnam follows the metric
system in weight and measures.
21. TELEPHONES
Emergency Telephone
Numbers:-
Police: 03
Fire: 08
First Aid: 05
22. GETTING
THERE
BY AIR
The main gateway to Vietnam is
through Hanoi using the Noi Bai International Airport
because it is directly connected to capitals of most
countries in Southeast Asia and as well as Sydney and
Melbourne in Australia by daily flights. Visitors can also
arrive at the Tan Son Nhat Airport at Ho Chi Minh City. The
best way is to fly in from Bangkok as visas are easily
obtained there.
BY SEA
The main entry points by sea to
Vietnam is at Ho Chi Minh City, Danang and Haiphong.
BY ROAD
It is possible to enter Vietnam
through a number of crossings from Cambodia.
23. GETTING
AROUND
BY RAIL
The railway system in Vietnam
starts from Ho Chi Minh City to Hanoi along the coast and
links with Haiphong at the northern region. Odd-numbered
trains travel south while the even-numbered trains travel
north. It takes about 52 hours to reach Hanoi from Ho Chi
Minh City. A ridiculously high surcharged is imposed on
tourists and reservations should be made at least one day in
advance.
BY ROAD
The bus system can be found
almost everywhere in the country although it can be
unreliable and slow at times. It is better to rent a cab for
the day.
24.
ACCOMMODATION
Vietnam has a wide range of
accommodation at competitive rates including budget motels.
25. DO'S AND
DON'TS
When dealing with
government officials who are often rigid, it is
best to be firm and diplomatic.
Small gifts such as cigarettes, cigarettes
lighters, liquor, perfume and pens will be
greatly appreciated by anyone you wish to
befriend.
Always ask for permission before taking
photographs of people and places of worship.
The most appropriate way of greeting is a gentle
handshake.
Giving money to beggars in Ho Chi Minh City is
discouraged as you may ended up being pursued by
a mob of beggars.
Beware of pickpockets and keep you money and
passport in a safe place and carry only the
photocopied passport out with you.
Avoid placing your feet on the
table while sitting. Never use your foot to point things out
or to touch any part of the body of anyone, which is
considered rude.
When visiting a
Buddhist pagoda, you should always remove your
shoes first and a small donation into the boxes
found inside the temples will be appreciated.
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